Sandy Gombik has raised thousands for charities and non-profits including Hospice Renfrew in her Renfrew thrift store
By R. Bruce McIntyre
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Renfrew – Although Renfrew businesswoman Sandy Gombik, owner of The Clothesline Thrift Store, was recently diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer with no chance of recovery, she considers herself
privileged.
“I feel so fortunate to have the chance to spend the last few days I have surrounded by family and friends in a facility that offers so much and asks for nothing in return,” she told the Leader in an exclusive interview.
The facility where she is spending her final days is Hospice Renfrew. It is a facility she has raised more than $5,000 for over the years, yet she had never stepped foot in the six-bedroom hospice designed more
like a home than a hospital.
“This is Renfrew’s hidden jewel and if it is the last thing I do, I want people to know there is nothing else like it and my one regret is not having been aware of how blessed we are to have a facility right in our
own backyard and just how special of a facility it is.”
It is a sad irony that Mrs. Gombik has entered Hospice Renfrew in the last stages of her life since she has helped raise money for the organization over the last few years, in addition to more than 50 local
charities and non-profits since she first opened The Clothesline Thrift Store, located in the former Sears building in downtown Renfrew.
Since the doors first opened more than six years ago, Mrs. Gombik, and her small complement of volunteers, have dedicated a large percentage of its profits to a local non-profit each month. After the bills have been paid for operational costs, such as rent, hydro, etc., the remainder is tallied up each month and donated to a specific organization.
Each year she would list 12 local organizations on a piece of paper and the 12 names were placed in a hat and drawn randomly. When a group was selected, the information was posted on the store’s Facebook
site and a representative from the monthly group would come into the store to accept the donation and that person would draw a piece of paper from the hat to select the next month’s charity.
“We used to have people come into the store but when COVID came along it made it much tougher and for a while we were close to having to shut down because of the restrictions,” she said. “But that led to the
growth of our online auction which is popular and carried us through some rough times.”
However, despite her impending end-of-life, Mrs. Gombik refuses to dwell on the rough times or waste valuable time dwelling on negative things she cannot control.
That is not unexpected given her generous and positive outlook on life. Although she was born in Toronto and moved to Renfrew in 1989, the 62-year-old entrepreneur wasted no time integrating into her
new community.
“My former husband was transferred to Renfrew, and I opened up a dog kennel business off of Pucker Street and immediately fell in love with the area and all the dogs who boarded with us over the years,” she said. “I soon opened up a dog grooming business on the main street before moving over to Argyle and shortly thereafter started the thrift store beside Community Living until we moved into the old Sears outlet on
Raglan Street.”
She maintained the dog grooming business until last year and sold the business and concentrated on the thrift store. The store has been the focus of her attention over the last year, and she only recently reduced
the hours.
“The main reason is because we have such wonderful volunteers who come in to sort the items but there is a lot of work involved and I did not want to burn them out,” she said.
Even as she contemplates her final days, she insists on looking out for the interests of others. In her quiet room at Hospice Renfrew, joined by one of her two daughters and her son-in-law, she laments the lack of
full funding for the hospice.
“This is just an incredible place and for it not to have 100 percent funding from the government is something I just don’t understand,” she said. “This is such a beautiful and peaceful place, and I honestly
don’t think I would rather be anywhere else than here. Before I arrived, I was in and out of hospitals where it is noisy, it is busy and there is little chance for peace and quiet.
“I think back to my parents and how they spent their final days in a hospital, often alone in a busy fast paced facility. I know for a fact if this was available to them, they would have had a much more peaceful end.”
Her stay in Hospice Renfrew is one of the very few times in her life that she does not have to feel sorry about others or take care of someone, or someone’s dog or cat She enjoys the fact she can eat what
she wants, when she wants. Her window offers a view of a garden and feeder that attracts squirrels, chipmunks and deer.
“I am not spending my last days eating hospital food,” she said with a laugh. A weak laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.
Mrs. Gombick also asked to send out a message to her many friends and customers who have supported The Clothesline Thrift Store over the years.
“I am not sure of the future of the store, but for now I know it is in good hands. If I were to ask one thing of people reading my story
it is this: don’t feel sorry for me. I have led a good life, made many lasting friendships along the way and I am at peace. If you want to do something positive, please remember Hospice Renfrew when you are
planning any donations.
“The love and compassion found inside these walls is not easy to describe. All I know is the many volunteers and staff here at Hospice have done so much for me and the others who have spent time here.
They ask nothing in return, and that in itself is something special.”
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